Transnational social support networks in intraeuropean migration. Education-to-work transitions in the economic crisis.

• Applicant: Dr. Rosa Brandhorst
• Subject Area: Empirical Social Research
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 543235815

The European Unions’ principle of freedom of movement within the Schengen zone in combination with the economic crisis and rising youth unemployment in Southern Europe since 2008 led to an increased mobility of young adults from Southern to Northern Europe. Germany represents one of the main destination countries of southern European migration, particularly from Spain and Italy. With the Covid- 19 related economic crisis and the labour demand in Germany the importance of Germany as a destination country is estimated to further increase. The proposed study examines young Spanish and Italian migrants’ social support networks in the scope of persisting barriers to labour market integration in Germany and of the post-2008 and Covid-19 and energy-crisis induced economic crisis in Southern Europe. It takes a transnational perspective on social support, analysing not only social networks in the country of immigration, but also the significance of social ties as safety nets to the country of origin. This study examines the role of transnational social support networks in education to work transitions and labour migration, based on reconstructive analysis of ethnographic research, biographical narrative interviews and ego-centric network maps with Spanish and Italian migrants in Germany and their local and transnational social support networks. The project links studies on transitions and intra- European youth migration with the network analytical focus of the scholarship on transnational social support. It aims at providing a better socio-theoretical understanding of the impact of local and transnational social support on migration trajectories and educationto- work transitions. It further promises findings on labour market integration and migration trajectories of young Spanish and Italians in Germany. Finally, the transnational perspective on youth transitions promises a better sociological understanding of the effects of the Europeanisation of education systems and labour markets.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants